Llanerchaeron Access Statement

Coronavirus Update

Please note that we are gradually reopening the property following closures due to COVID-19. We will be updating the information on our website as we make changes to the visitor experience, but if you have any questions please use the email address provided, and a member of the team will be able to help.

Please follow signage and way markers on the day that you visit or speak to a member of our team when you arrive. As we have made changes to keep our team members and visitors safe, you will notice differences across the whole property if you have visited previously. Signs are in place to help your visit, but please do ask a member of the team if you have any questions and we will be able to support you.

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Ciliau Aeron Lampeter Ceredigion SA48 8DG T: 01545 570200 E: [email protected]

Introduction

Llanerchaeron is an18th century Welsh minor gentry estate located in the Aeron valley. The House is surrounded by a large estate which includes a working farm, two restored walled gardens and extensive woodland and parkland walks. The property is Grade I listed.

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Visitor Information

• Mobile phone reception is intermittent. • Dogs are not allowed on the core estate but assistance dogs are welcome throughout the property. There is a water bowl situated at the entrance to the visitor reception in the car park. • Light levels in some areas are low for conservation and atmospheric merit. • There is a traffic free foot/cycle track from Aberaeron to Llanerchaeron (2 miles).

Arrival & Parking Facilities

• Llanerchaeron is situated just off the A482 around 2 miles west of Aberaeron. • There are brown signs in the centre of Aberaeron as well as on the A482. • The car park is signposted off the access road. • The car park is tiered and consists of three levels. • There are around 12 disabled parking bays situated approximately 25 yards from the visitor reception. • The main car park is mainly hard standing with some gravelled areas. • There is ample room for coach parking. • Cycle racks are available in the main car park in front of the Visitor Reception building. • There is an electrical charging point in the car park.

WCs

• There are WCs situated in the visitor reception building, including a left-hand transfer accessible WC with space to turn a wheelchair. • Emergency assistance alarms are fitted in all accessible toilets. • On site there are standard and accessible WCs situated opposite the Stable Courtyard including a right-hand transfer accessible WC with space to turn a wheelchair. • There is one other WC to the rear of the House near the Billiard Room with a left-hand transfer WC. • The WCs in the Visitor Building tiled floors and painted walls. • All WCs have LED lighting. Lighting levels in the toilet cubicles are fairly low. • There are no electric hand dryers on site. • Baby changing facilities are situated in the visitor reception building.

Visitor Reception

• The Visitor Reception is a large corrugated zinc building situated in the car park. The main reception flooring is wood with rough cast concrete floors in the passageway. • The approach is level from the disabled bays and with a slight incline from the lower level and a slight slope from the higher level. • There are double doors at the entrance to the Visitor Reception. The doors have manual opening and open inwards. The doors are generally held open but kept closed Page 3 of 10

in winter. Staff are on hand to assist with opening the doors. Each door is 80cm wide, giving a total of 160cm when both doors are opened. • The reception area is spacious and has four windows and three half glazes doors to provide natural light which is supplemented with LED lighting. The floor is wooden. • The reception counter is 900mm high. Staff are able to come around the counter to speak with visitors who cannot reach the counter. • There is a table which the reception team use for membership enquiries. • Seats with arm rests are available in the main reception area. • Large print and Braille guides are available. • There is an induction loop available. • The route from the Visitor Reception is through a door at the far-left hand side of the reception area. The door is 78cm wide. • Door width into the WCs is 80cm. • From the Visitor building the route starts level and then there is a choice of steps consisting of a split flight of 16 steps or a ramp to the level of the main entrance to the property. The ramp is quite long and is made from rough cast concrete.

• A bilingual property guide and orientation map is available free to all visitors. • Bilingual short guides can be purchased which give a comprehensive guided tour of the house, gardens, farm and outbuildings. • There is a water bowl for dogs just outside the entrance to the Reception area.

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House

• The House is situated about 200m up a slope and along the level from the reception area. • The paths have a hard gravel surface. • There are two steps up to the main entrance to the house. A portable ramp is available which is put out by the staff on notification of the arrival of a wheelchair user by reception on the internal two-way radio. • The doorway is 99cm wide and opens inwards. Staff and volunteers are on hand to assist with the opening of the door. • The hallway is spacious, and the ground floor is laid to flagstones and rugs. • Door widths to the ground floor display rooms are 89cm. • Most powered mobility vehicles and wheelchairs can be accommodated on the ground floor although there is limited turning apace in the display rooms themselves. • There are some seats available in the house for visitor use. The majority of which do not have arm rests. • The flooring upstairs is wood with either rugs or linoleum. • There is limited natural light throughout the house. • Each room has interpretation material available. • Photography is allowed. • Access to the upper floor and cellar is by stairs only. The staircase to the upper floor is of stone construction and is covered in a thick carpet. It has handrails on both sides. It has a central flight of 15 steps which splits left and right with two further flights of 2 and 4 steps each. • The two display rooms of the Pamela Ward collection are separated by a short steep flight of stairs consisting of 8 steps. A handrail is fixed to the right-hand side wall.

• The stairway through is the service area of the house and is covered with linoleum and oilcloth. It consists of 15 steps with a small return near the bottom of the staircase.

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• There are 7 steps down to the cellar and they do not have handrails. • The cellar has limited lighting.

• The flooring in the service area of the house is flagstones. • Access to the rear service room of the house is by stairs from the first floor. Wheelchair users can access these rooms by going out and around to the rear of the house and in through the scullery door. • Rucksacks and large bags are required to be left with the staff/volunteers at the entrance to the house and are then collected from the scullery on leaving the house. • There are no WCs in the house. • There are no guided tours through the house. • There are volunteers in the house although not in each room. • If you require use of a quiet space, please indicate this to one of our room stewards who will be able to find a suitable area for you. • A virtual tour of the house is available on request. Page 6 of 10

Service Courtyard and Billiard Room

• The courtyard has a level slate path surrounding a cobbled centre. • There is one small room upstairs (a servant’s bedroom). • Access into the service rooms is mainly level and with a downward slate ramp into the Brewery. • The flooring to all service rooms is flagstones. • The Billiard Room houses an exhibition with information about Llanerchaeron, the family and the restoration work on the property. • The entrance into the Billiard Room is up a wooden ramp with a handrail to the left- hand side. • The Billiard Room has wooden flooring.

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Catering

• The café is located to the side of the reception area in the Visitor Building. • The access path is of rough cast concrete and has a slight gradient. • The door is non-power assisted and opens outwards and has a width of 84cm. • The floor is of rough cast concrete. Two sides of the café are covered in corrugated zinc, one side is constructed of glass while the fourth side is relatively open to the elements with plastic mesh blinds which can be lowered when bad weather makes it necessary. • The width between the tables varies. • The tables are round and are of wooden slatted construction. The chairs have a wooden slatted seat and back with no arm rests. • The counter is over 900mm high. Café staff are available to assist with service and carrying trays. • There is no induction loop available. • Picnic tables are available for use on a grassy area to the side of the café. There is a slight slope to the picnic tables. The picnic tables are suitable for wheelchair users. • Dogs are welcome on leads in the picnic area.

Second-hand bookshop

• The Second-hand bookshop is an open area adjacent to the Visitor Building reception area. • The flooring is wooden. • Staff will assist reaching down items to view. • There is no space to use powered mobility vehicle or powered wheelchair. • Some of the goods on the display tables are reachable by wheelchair users and children. • There is a circulation space between the tables and shelves of between 82cm and 140cm. • Staff will assist with telling visitors the price of items. • Donations are taken at the reception counter.

Garden

• There are five entrances to the walled gardens, one from the pleasure grounds, one from the garden courtyard, two from the path around the lake and one from the rickyard. • Paths are gravelled. • The gardens and pleasure grounds are mainly level and are accessible for wheelchair users. • There are two dipping ponds in the walled gardens. • Access into the greenhouses is by a step. Wheelchair users can view the interior of the greenhouse through the end doors. • There are benches situated throughout the gardens. • There are interpretation cards located in marked boxes around the site. Page 8 of 10

Pleasure grounds and lake

• The lake is about two feet deep along its edge with a deep layer of silt/mud underneath. • The paths are gravelled and are generally level and with a good width. • There are benches located around the lake.

Farm

• The paths around the farm are either gravelled, cobbled or grassed and are uneven in places. • Most of the outbuildings around the property are reasonably accessible on the ground floor. The cowshed has a ramped entranced. • The granary has an upper floor which is accessed by a flight of stone steps and will not be accessible to everyone. • There are hand washing facilities in the cowshed. • Animals on the farm provide a visual and sensory experience.

Geler Jones Shed

• The Geler jones shed is located at the far end of the farmyard. • The approach is down a short slope from the farmyard. • The shed has a ramped entrance. • The interior of the shed provides limited accessibility. • There is limited natural lighting. Additional lighting by fluorescent tubes.

Contact details for more information T: 01545 570200 E: [email protected]

Date: 22.01.2021

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